Buccal Fat Pad Removal

Buccal fat pad removal is a cosmetic procedure that enhances facial contours by reducing the size of the lower cheeks. This targeted surgery is ideal for individuals seeking a more defined facial structure, particularly at the cheekbones. At the Antony Institute of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, Dr. Anu Antony utilizes her surgical expertise and artistic insight to achieve subtle but dramatic results.

What Is Buccal Fat Pad Removal?

Buccal fat pad removal, or cheek reduction surgery, involves delicately removing the buccal fat pads from the cheeks. These fat pads are located in the lower part of the cheeks. The size of this natural fat pad varies significantly from person to person, and those with larger buccal fat pads often have a rounder or chubby-looking facial structure.

What Does Buccal Fat Pad Removal Entail?

Personalized Assessment

Each procedure begins with an assessment, during which Dr. Anu Antony evaluates your facial structure. The evaluation includes analyzing cheek fullness, facial symmetry, and skin elasticity to ensure buccal fat removal will enhance your natural contours without leaving you looking gaunt in the future.

Precision Technique

During the procedure, Dr. Antony employs a refined technique that begins with a small, hidden incision inside the mouth near the second upper molar. This strategic placement will leave no visible scars.

Fat Pad Extraction

Dr. Antony delicately removes the appropriate amount of buccal fat with specialized instruments. This step is crucial and performed with utmost care to avoid over-reduction, which could lead to a gaunt appearance later on.

Minimalistic Approach

The focus is on removing just the right amount of fat to achieve a subtle contouring effect that complements your overall facial harmony rather than creating an overly hollow look in the years ahead.

Closure

The incision is immediately closed with absorbable sutures that dissolve naturally, minimizing any potential for infection and speeding up the healing process.

What Is the Recovery?

Recovery from buccal fat pad removal is typically swift and with minimal discomfort, allowing patients to return to their daily routines quickly. The recovery is as follows:

After the Procedure

Immediately after the surgery, expect some swelling and mild soreness around the cheeks. The internal incisions may feel slightly tender, but significant pain is rare. Dr. Anu Antony prescribes appropriate pain management, usually minimal and requiring just over-the-counter pain relievers.

First Days

During the first 48 to 72 hours, apply ice packs intermittently to reduce swelling. Sleep with your head elevated for the first few nights to promote faster healing.

Diet and Oral Care

A soft or liquid diet is recommended for the first few days to avoid irritation to the incision sites inside the mouth. Rinsing the mouth with salt water and antiseptic mouthwash helps prevent infection and speed up the healing of the incision sites.

Activity Level

While you may feel able to return to work and other normal activities within 2 to 3 days, strenuous activities or actions involving extreme facial movements or contact sports should be avoided for up to two weeks.

Follow-Up Visits

Dr. Antony schedules follow-up appointments to monitor your progress. These visits are vital opportunities to ensure that the healing process is progressing well and that the aesthetic outcomes are developing as expected.

Results

Initial swelling typically subsides significantly within a week, making the new facial contours more apparent. However, minor swelling may persist for a few weeks; the final, refined results are usually visible within 1 to 3 months.

Long-Term Results

The facial slimming effect is lasting.

woman with ginger hair looking forward while facing to the left

Why Choose Dr. Anu Antony?

Choosing Dr. Anu Antony for your buccal fat pad removal means entrusting your facial aesthetics to a surgeon whose background uniquely combines rigorous medical training with artistic finesse. Trained in sculpture and painting at the prestigious Lorenzo Medici Institute of Art in Florence, Italy, Dr. Antony brings an artist’s eye to every procedure, carefully sculpting facial features to enhance natural beauty while maintaining balance and proportion. Her advanced surgical skills, honed through extensive training at top institutions like Stanford University Medical Center and further refined during fellowships at Cornell Memorial Sloan Kettering and Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital, have led to exceptional surgical skills. This blend of art and medicine ensures that her surgical outcomes are safe, effective, and aesthetically pleasing.